


Parental Bonding

by HadesGhostGirl



Series: Danny Phantom Rewrite [5]
Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Character Death Mentioned, Danny's a disaster, Dragons, F/M, Homecoming, Trans Character, Trans Danny Fenton, Wes shows up, adhd danny fenton, but it's danny so half death, but it's not bad he's just uncomfortable, danny has issues with being in the lab, elements of chat fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-01-28 22:44:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 7,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21399853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HadesGhostGirl/pseuds/HadesGhostGirl
Summary: rewrite of the episode Parental Bonding. Danny accidentally gives his crush a cursed amulet.
Relationships: one sided Danny Fenton/Paulina Sanchez
Series: Danny Phantom Rewrite [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1520567
Comments: 44
Kudos: 22





	1. Ghost Fishing

**Author's Note:**

> Danny's issues with being in the lab will be expanded upon. As will many other things, I have so many plans for this that I'm not writing my original stuff anymore... oops

Danny trudged down into the basement before school. Casper High had only closed for one day and then reopened with disrupted classes as the crater had been filled. He dumped his galaxy backpack at the bottom of the stairs and walked up to his dad. “Hey Dad,” he said coming up behind him. “What are you doing?”  
Jack had a fishing hat on with soda cans attached to either side, he sucked on the straw a couple of times before turning to his son. “Danny keep it down, you’ll scare away the spooks,” he said, pointing to the glowing blue fishing line in his hand. “This is the Fenton Fisher. I’m Fishing for Ghosts!” The other end of the line dangled just shy of the open portal. Danny looked at the line warily. Jack placed the pole in a holder on the side of his chair and lifted the glowing fishing line up, stretching it out a little. “Check out this line. It’s coated in a special, high-tech, ectoplasmal resign that ghosts can’t break. Quiet now, don’t wanna spook ‘em.” With that last statement, Jack cast his line into the portal.  
A little skeptically, Danny watches the line disappear into the portal. He doesn’t ask any more questions though. There’s a loud gurgling sound and Jack suddenly straightens. “That soda really goes right through you, like Sherman through Georgia,” He said as he stood up, handing Danny the pole. “Hold this, I’ve got to use the Fenton Urinal.” Stood somewhat uncomfortably in the middle of the room he had technically died in, Danny watched his Dad go upstairs. He hadn’t really been alone in here since the accident and it wasn’t particularly comforting.   
The line started to reel out further and Danny gasped. He pulled on the pole and tried to fight against the pull, but even his considerable strength wasn’t enough. Or so he thought, suddenly the line went slack, his ghost sense fogged his breath and a ghost came crawling out of the portal. A ghost dragon with the hook lodged between it’s very large, very pointy teeth, to be specific. Danny gulped. “Oh no.”  
The dragon roared at him and then yelled, “I want to go!” Danny backed up. Smaller, less pointy, ghosts he could deal with. This felt like something new. “I have to go!” The dragon grabbed him in its large clawed hands.  
“Sorry,” Danny said, as he decided that his options were now limited to fight or die (the rest of the way). “But you’ll have to get in line behind my dad.” He summoned the rings and glared at the dragon. As soon as he was completely shifted he turned himself into a ghostly mist, much like the blue fog of his ghost sense, and easily flowed from the ghosts grip. He regained solid form and blinked a couple of times. “That felt weird.” Whilst he was still getting his bearings the dragon swatted at home. “Woah!” He dodged just in time. A second swipe came at him and he managed to dodge that too.   
Frustrated the dragon roared and attempted to bathe him in fire. Danny phased right through the flames, hoping there was nothing flammable behind him.”Well if that’s all you’ve got,” Danny yelled as he swung up into the most powerful kick he could manage, which sent the ghost flying across the room. The dragon slowly shrank down into the size of a young, he assumed, woman. Still a ghost, blue-skinned and wearing a regal-looking dress.  
“All I wanted to do,” Said the ghost mournfully. “Is go to the Princess Costume ball, but my horrid Mummy won’t let me!” She shrieked this as some unseen force sucked her back into the portal.  
“If that dragon suit’s your idea of a costume,” Danny said to the empty room. “I’m on Mummy’s side.” The rings swept across his body again and he relaxed. “Phew! That’s a relief.”  
Jack came running down the stairs. “I’ll tell you what’s a relief,” he said, handing Danny two cans of soda. “Darn, I almost forgot.” He turned around and ran back up the stairs, moments later there was a flushing sound. Danny rolled his eyes, he put the drinks down on his Dad’s chair and grabbed his bag. He didn’t notice the glowing amulet that had fallen in there during the fight.  
“Hey Jazz,” he called as he went back up the stairs. “Can I get a lift?”  
“Jazz has already left sweetie,” Maddie replied from where she sat at the kitchen table. “There’s still the bus.”  
Danny’s shoulders slumped and he sighed. “Yeah,” he said, heading for the door. “See you later!”


	2. Paulina

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny and Tucker attempt to get dates for the school dance.

On the bus Danny checked the group chat he had with Sam and Tucker. As usual, it was chaos.  
Ghosts 4 Days  
TooFine: i had a weird dream last night  
BatGirl is my gf: :00 im a fan of weird dreams pls tell  
TooFine: im gonna preface this with i was going over dannys schedule before i went to slepp  
BatGirl is my gf: nerd  
TooFine: :D  
BatGirl is my gf: so the dream tuck come on  
TooFine: so danny's folks had invented this device that brought things back to life but only for like a week and after that week they were deader than before  
and they had only tested it on plants  
the plants only lived for like a weak btw  
anyway they kept trying to use it on ghosts but the ghosts kept dodging  
it just ended up being like a scooby doo chase scene  
BatGirl is my gf: kdnckks scooby doo chase scene  
TooFine: I think they were yelling something like "we can save you from this ectoplasmic hell"  
it was very strange  
BatGirl is my gf: ECTOPLASMIC HELL  
i like that  
TooFine: I'm pretty sure Danny was having a crisis about what would happen of they used it on him  
BatGirl is my gf: that would suck for him  
Secret ghost comes out as ghost  
TooFine: imagine that conversation though  
He's like "I need to tell you guys something"  
And their like "we know you're trans danny you already told us"  
And he's just getting more and more frustrated  
BatGirl is my gf: local ghost boy can't catch a break  
TooFine: he's just yelling ghost and waving at himself when they finally get it  
BatGirl is my gf: would they though?  
Can we get an f in the chat for our homeboy Danny  
TooFine: f  
Rip again my dude  
BatGirl is my gf: died again for the second time  
The Ghost With The Least: I thought I was the only one allowed to make death jokes guys  
TooFine: thought you were over it  
The Ghost With The Least: I have PTSD  
BatGirl is my gf: we all do  
Jokes is how we deal  
Where are you anyway?  
The Ghost With The Least: on the bus  
Jazz had already left  
TooFine: sucks to be you

When Danny arrived at school Sam met him on the front steps, Tucker was just inside the door trying to get the attention of the girls passing him. “Hey there,” He said to one girl. “Do you wanna-”  
“No,” She said before he finished.  
“Strike one,” Sam said as she and Danny came up next to him.  
“Very funny,” Tucker said, shoving his hands into the pockets of his cargo shorts.  
“The school dance is in like a week's time and you still haven’t gotten a date, Tuck?” Danny asked as they started heading towards homeroom.  
“Neither have either of you,” Tucker defended, crossing his arms. “I’ll have a date by tomorrow.”  
“I don’t even want to go to the stupid dance,” Sam said, kicking one of her heavy combat boots against the ground. “My parents bought me a stupid dress anyway.”  
Danny frowned. “Sam-” The tardy bell rang. “Shit!” Danny grabbed both of his friends, looked to see if anyone was paying attention, saw no one and then jumped the flight of stairs in front of them in one bound.  
“Watch where you’re going dweebs,” Wes said when they collided with him at the top of the stairs.  
“Sorry Weston,” Danny said as the three of them took off running towards Lancer’s classroom.

At lunch, Danny and Sam took a table outside they each started to munch half-heartedly on their lunch as Tucker held the door open for what seemed to be the entire school. Eventually, Tucker slumped his way over. “Strike three, Tuck?” Danny asked, trying not to laugh as Tucker flopped next to him.  
“More like strike 3000,” Tucker complained.  
Sam rolled her eyes. “I don’t know what the big deal is with going to some stupid dance,” she said, crossing her arms. “I don’t need to be asked to some dance to know I’m special. !-” Both boys were looking past her. “What?”  
“Paulina!” They both said, jaws hanging.  
“Oh please,” Sam said, rolling her eyes again. “Paulina? Girls like her are a dime a dozen.”   
Tucker and Danny immediately started searching their pockets for change. “How much change you got?” Danny asked, laughing.  
“Oh very funny,” Sam grumbled. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes for the third time in as many minutes. “Just remember you can’t judge a book by its cover.”  
“Well, there’s only one way to find out,” Tucker said, pushing Danny up and out of his seat. “Go on Danny! Go to that library and check out that book!”  
“I can’t!” Danny complained, pushing back against Tucker. “I get weak-kneed when I talk to cute girls.”  
“That explains middle school,” Sam said, laughing at him. He weakly attempted to protest. Sam shushed him. “You know it’s true. So on, go be a dweeb.”  
Danny stumbled over to Paulina and went to lean on the tree she was sat under. “Hi-” he attempted to say as his arm went intangible and he smacked into the tree. He ended up in a heap at Paulina’s feet.  
“Please,” She drawled at him. “Don’t say you’ve suddenly fallen for me. That line is so overused.”  
Blushing furiously, Danny pushed himself back up to his feet. “Yeah,” he said. “I mean no! That’s not what I was going to- I’m Danny.” His jeans slipped down his legs as his powers fluctuated again.   
Paulina, and what felt like the entire student body of Casper High, laughed at him. “A gentleman usually tips his hat,” She said, rising daintily to her feet. “But I’ll give you points for originality.”  
“Kudos Danny,” Sam said, walking up behind him as he pulled his jeans back up over his boxers. “You just set a world record for drowning in the shallow end of the gene pool.”  
Paulina scowled for a moment. She then cocked her hip out to the side. “Oh no, you did not just call me shallow,” She said, putting one hand on her cocked hip and waving the other towards Sam.  
“If you mean,” Sam said, shifting her weight from one booted foot to the other. “Do I think I could stand in a puddle full of you and not get my feet wet? Then yeah.” Sam grabbed Danny and started pulling him away.  
“Shallow!” Paulina protested. “I am not shallow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The group chat in this chapter is almost a direct copy of a conversation I had (in which I'm Tucker) about a dream I had in a discord server.


	3. Overshadowing is Not a Toy

“Thanks to you,” Tucker said as they reached Danny’s locker. “I now know the quickest way to a woman’s heart: clean boxers.”  
Danny slammed his head against his locker. “Man, I blew it,” he complained as he opened his locker through his head, letting his head fall forward without the door in the way. “PAulina probably won’t even look at me now.”  
“Yoo-hoo Danny,” Paulina called from down the hall.  
“Or not!” Danny exclaimed, straightening his posture and turning towards the sound of Paulina’s voice. “Hey, Tuck?”  
“I get it,” Tucker said, turning to leave. “I’m out, I’ll go find Sam. Good luck.” Tucker then ran off in the direction of Sam’s locker. He paused and gave Danny a thumbs up before disappearing around the corner.  
“Hey, you,” said Paulina as she leant against the locker next to Danny’s. “I just wanted to-”  
Danny suddenly found himself in the dark. Inside his own locker. “Meet me,” He heard Dash say. Angrily, Danny shoved against the locker, not hard just in frustration. He couldn’t use his strength to get out of this one, that would reveal too much. But maybe?  
He shifted himself sideways until he felt a change, as if he had passed through something, then he stuck his upper body through the locker door and found himself behind Dash. Dash was flirting with Paulina, Danny glared at Dash. Invisible as he was, he reached forward. He was planning on shoving Dash but instead found himself being pulled in. “-In Dash’s body?” He asked with Dash’s voice.  
“Excuse me?” Paulina asked, leaning away.  
“Right!” Danny said, wiggling a little, trying to adjust to the far larger frame. “Of course. I’m also president of the Casper High geek club and have every toenail I’ve ever clipped. Wanna see ‘em?”  
“Ew gross,” Paulina said, shoving at Dash. Danny, internally, grinned. This was almost too easy.  
“Oh then you should get to know Da-” Danny cut himself off. Anyone that knew Dash would immediately know something was off if he started praising Danny instead of beating on him. “My Dad. He’s great. Me and him scrub my mom’s feet everyday.” Eh, probably more believable than praising Danny Fenton, Danny thought as he left Dash’s body and reentered his own locker. Where he proceeded to have a mini freak out about the fact he was just inside Dash’s body.  
With Danny no longer in control, Dash stumbled away. “Why do I suddenly feel like scrubbing my mom’s feet?”  
The locker clicked and opened. Danny made a show of falling out, forcing his body to behave like gravity affected him like a normal person. He’d like to pretend that the disorientation was a part of the show but he had just been inside Dash’s body. There was a clink of metal as something fell out of his backpack.  
“We have to stop meeting like this,” Paulina said as she came down to his level. “Oh my gosh, what is that?” She picked up an amulet from the top of his open backpack.   
Danny stared blankly at the amulet. “Oh, um er... That’s-”  
“It’s beautiful!” She held up the amulet on it’s thin golden chain and examined the colour shifting crystal enshrouded in a small golden dragon.   
“You like it?” Danny asked, hopefully but somewhat surprised. “That’s great! Because, I got it for you!”  
“For me?” Paulina asked.   
“Yeah, I was going to give it to you if- when I asked you to the dance,” Danny said, smiling as this plan came to fruition. “You don’t have to say yes, by the way.” Danny rushed that last sentence with wide eyes.  
Paulina laughed delicately. “Well, you are kinda cute,” She said as she opened the clasp of the amulet and lifted it to her neck. “And you have great taste in underwear. So, I’d love to go with you.”  
“Really?”   
“I said yes, didn’t I?” Paulina asked as she stood up. She then helped Danny up. Danny just gaped at her. She laughed again. “See you later Danny.” She waved and walked away. Danny blinked. “Why did I give her that amulet?” He asked himself. “That could’ve been my mom’s or my sister’s! I’ll worry about that later, she said YES!” His powers fluctuated again. With the same result.  
“Pantless again Mr Fenton?” LAncer asked as he came up in front of Danny, who had his arms in the air. Danny blushed. “This is the third time this week I’ve caught you-” He flipped through a pocket book called ‘How to Sound Hip and Cool’ “Dropping trou. I think it’s time I saw your parents for a parent teacher conference.” He handed Danny a piece of paper.  
Danny looked at it. “You were carrying this around?”  
“That is not the point Mr Fenton,” Lancer said. “We clearly need to set up better accomodation for your needs if you are-” He looked at the book again. “‘Flipping Out’ so frequently.”  
Danny pulled his jeans up. “Okay.”  
“For now, try a belt.”

When Danny got home Maddie and Jazz were both out. He looked down at the Parent-Teacher Conference sheet in his hand. “Surely it isn’t fair that Lancer demands the meeting be today?” he muttered to himself.  
“What’s that Danny?” Jack said as he came out of the toilet at the bottom of the stairs.   
“Nothing,” Danny said, shoving the paper into the weird slit in space behind him. “Catch anything Dad?”   
“Son, I couldn’t catch a cold,” Jack said, frowning and stretching out his back. “I’ve been sat down in front of that portal all do and not had a single bite.”  
“Uh...” Danny went to pull the paper out of the space.  
“I’m so frustrated right now,” Jack said, with a hint of amusement in his voice. “That I might take it out on the next person who gives me bad news.”  
Jack started to head towards the kitchen to go back down to the lab. Danny followed meekly. “Mr Lancer-” Danny began but Jack interrupted.  
He playfully glared down at his son. “This isn’t bad news is it?” Danny heard the joking tone in his Dad’s voice but he also knew what his Dad was like when things didn't go his way. It made him nervous  
“Mr Lancer,” Danny started again. Then he had an idea and went intangible before walking into his Dad. “Wants to have a word with us!” He said in his Dad’s voice. Danny stumbled as he headed towards the front door, his Dad’s height and weight were both so much larger than Danny’s own, and even Dash’s, that it took a while for Danny to get used to moving. With that in mind, Danny walked all the way to Casper High.   
Once back at the school, Lancer took him into his office. “Thank you for coming to discuss your son’s schooling, Mr Fenton,” Lancer said. “I’m sorry about the short notice.”  
“That’s alright!” Danny said, hoping the panic he felt wasn’t coming across in his Dad’s voice. “Sure! I’m a parent, that’s what parents do! Uh, right?”  
Lancer lifted an eyebrow. “Well yes,” He said. Danny felt the sweat building under his Dad’s HAZMAT suit and fishing gear. “There have been a couple of instances regarding his pants.”  
“Did his pants fall down again?” Danny yelled. “Poor Danny! He studies so hard he forgets to eat. Which I know because I am his father and not him.”  
“Is that right?” Lancer asked. “I thought it was his acting out from not having the correct facilities available to him. I suppose we could provide him with some form of structured study time so that we could help him create a schedule to try and prevent his hyper-focus from stopping him from eating.”  
Now Danny was panicking for an entirely different reason. He’d jumped to conclusions and followed his impulses, again, when this would’ve gone so much better if he’d explained things to both his parents. “Of course you understand, no wonder your Danny’s favourite teacher,” Danny said, for once meaning that. He’d expected to be getting in trouble not getting a meeting about support with his ADHD.  
“I am?” Asked Lancer.   
Now Danny was stuck in this situation with little he could do to get out of it. “WE Fentons consider teachers to be underpaid and overworked!” He hoped that sounded like something his Dad would say.  
“I like your style, Mr Fenton,” Lancer said, smiling. “How would you like to chaperone the school dance?”  
“Chaperone?” Danny yeeted himself out of there before he could get his Dad to agree to anything else.

As he flew over Amity Park, Danny pulled his phone out of that weird space that he needed to come up with a name with. He opened the group chat with Sam and Tucker.

Ghosts 4 Days  
BatGirl is my gf: how much you betting danny’s pants fall down at least twice before the dance  
TooFine: that is an unfair bet because it’s garented to happen  
BatGirl is my gf: garented  
Ghost With The Least: garented  
TooFine: can i get an f in the chat for my dignity  
Ghost With The Least: f  
Anyway  
Can you guys meet me at the mall????  
This is big important  
BatGirl is my gf: how much bail money do you need?  
TooFine: where is the best place to hide a body?  
Ghost With The Least: this is not that kind of big important  
TooFine: How Big Important are we talking?  
Ghost With The Least: it isn’t capital letter worthy  
It’s so hard to type and fly  
Just meet me at the mall  
BatGirl is my gf: already here, mom dragged me shopping with her  
I’ll slip away and go to the food court  
TooFine: omw

“So wait, you can just walk into somebody and take control of their body?” Tucker asked after Danny finished explaining his weird day.  
“Pretty much,” Danny agreed, his shoulders slumping.  
“Hey Danny,” Tucker said, waving at a girl.  
“Tucker!” Sam snapped at him. “That is so insensitive.”  
“What?”  
“No it’s okay Sam,” Danny said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “I don’t mind.” Tucker grinned. “But, forget it Tuck. You can get a date on your own.”  
“Does he have to take off his pants and act like a dweeb?” Sam asked, shifting from defensive to joking without even pausing. Danny was used to this, but it through Tucker. “Or will either one do?”  
“Hey, Paulina agreed to go with me!”  
“Doesn’t mean you aren’t a dweeb,” Sam pointed out.  
“And you did take off your pants,” Tucker added.  
“Not on purpose!”  
“Anyway guys,” Sam said, shifting the conversation from picking on Danny in the smoothest topic change Danny had ever heard. He vowed never to voice that comment. “I’m glad I’m not going to this stupid dance. Then I won’t have to buy the dumb dress my parents bought me.”


	4. On Dances and Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tucker and Sam argue. Both realise their being stupid. Shocking.

"Still not been asked then?" Tucker asked, grabbing a few fries from his tray.

Sam grumbled and crossed her arms. 

"So you do want to go to the dance!" Tucker yelled, as if he'd just uncovered the secrets of the universe. Sam flipped him the bird. "Well you and Valerie are the only girls left I haven't asked out. You want to go?"

Sam glared at him. "You think to ask me after you've asked the entire school?"

"I was gonna ask if we could go and friends ages ago but you kept yelling about how you didn't want to go," Tucker pointed out.

"Tuck you've been asking everyone at school since the moment you found out about the dance," Danny countered, flicking a fry at his friend.

"So?" Tucker asked, flicking the fry back at Danny. "Doesn't mean I thought I'd actually get anywhere." Tucker shrugged. He pushed his glasses up his nose with a knuckle. "You got s date anyway, so that ruined the friends angle."

"Oh so I'm only your friend when Danny's around?" Sam snapped.

"I'm trying here!" Tucker yelled back.

Sam froze. "You are, aren't you?" She asked, weirdly soft for her. She tapped a purple nailed finger against her purple stained lips. "Alright Tucker, we can go as friends."

Tucker smiled. Danny smiled at his friends. "Maybe I could convince Paulina to make this dance a double date?" He asked, more thinking out loud.

"Doubt it," Sam said. "For starters I doubt she'd want to be seen with three losers."

"Why are you so down on her?" Danny asked. "So she's pretty, It's not a crime."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Looks aren't everything Daniel," she said. Danny frowned. Then he gasped.

"Ghost time," Tucker said, reaching across the table. "Can I have your fries?"

"Sure," Danny said as he rolled under the table. "You're buying next time!" He yelled as white light flashed.

"Fair," Tucker agreed as his friend flew up through the table towards the ghost fight.


	5. Second Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny fights the dragon ghost again.

Danny flew up in front of the exact same ghost dragon he had fought that morning. "Say, haven't we met before?" He asked it.

The dragon roared in his face. "Want fleece tee!" It yelled, before slamming into him and pinning him between its front claws. "Want tee!"

"Tea?" Danny asked, casually lying between the dragons Danny sized claws. "That's a good idea, coffee might make you a might jittery." He sank through the floor and came back up with some force. "Or better yet try some punch!" His first connected with the dragon's jaw. Hard. It went flying and seemed to shrink as it went. Danny saw the shrinking body fall behind a shrubbery but he didn't see the princess from before. He waited a moment, just hovering in the air, to see if she would surface. He shrugged and went back to Ssm and Tucker.

He landed next to the table they were sat at and frowned at his friends. "That's the-"

Sam cut him off as she grabbed his shoulder and shoved him under the table. A couple people gave her funny looks but turned back to their own food quickly enough. "Are you an idiot?" She asked.

"What?" Danny asked from under the table. He rubbed his arm from where Sam had grabbed more than just his jumpsuit.

"Change back," Sam growled at him.

"Oh yeah," Danny realised he was still a ghost. "Secret identity. Oops."

Tucker kicked him. "You can only make that mistake so many times before no more secret," he said, tapping the table above Danny. "Don't just lie under the table dude, someone's gonna notice."

"I died 2 months ago, give me a break," Danny said as he summoned the transformation rings. Once they had dissipated he pulled himself back up next to Tucker on the bench. "Anyway, as I was saying, that's the second time I've fought that dragon ghost today."

"I'll do some research," Sam said, standing. "For now I have to go find my mom before she abandons me here again. See you boys later."

"Bye Sam," both boys said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A pretty short chapter this time, but that'll be made up with the next one which is the dance itself.


	6. Prepping for Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny, Sam, Tucker and Paulins get ready to go to the dance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to make the dance Homecoming.

Danny came through the arch in the kitchen to grab a glass of water and found his entire family in there. His Mom was helping his dad put on a tie over his HAZMAT suit. Why are his parents like this?

Jazz came up behind him as he filled the glass. "I know your secret Danny," she said.

"W-what secret?" He asked, feeling sweat bead his forehead. He very nearly dropped the glass.

"The nervousness, the dropping things, how joy you are?" Jazz listed off several things she had noticed her brother doing as she followed him out of the kitchen. "It's obvious, you have a girlfriend."

"IT'S A LIE I'M NOT A GHOST!" Danny yelled. "I mean she's not my girlfriend. She just agreed to go to the dance with me."

There was a crash and a shout of "GHOST!" from the kitchen.

"Well you better tell her about your family now Danny," Jazz said, matter-of-factly. "Because if you marry her and she finds out later? That's entrapment."

Danny backed away from his sister. "Okay Jazz," he said. "I'll absolutely do that thing you just said." He turned and ran up the stairs, attempting to keep his glass level.

Once he was back in his room, he set about sorting himself out. Whilst he got ready, Tucker - who already was - started a video call with Sam. "Hey Sam," Danny said, waving awkwardly over Tucker's shoulder before pulling his suit jacket on.

"Hey boys," Sam said, not looking away from her mirror as she did her makeup.

"Hey Sam," said Tucker from where he sat adjusting the cuffs of his suit jacket. "Danny's being super weird."

"Tie straight," Danny said, adjusting his tie. "Shirt tucked in." He checked. "Corsage." He gently placed that in his pocket. "Fenton Fisher stashed safely away just in case." He reached behind him and let go.

"It's weird when you do that," Sam told him from the computer.

"Do what?"

"Just drop things behind you and they vanish," she clarified, waving one hand vaguely at Danny whilst the other gathered a handful of hair to tie up. "Where do they go?" She grabbed a hair tie and pulled it over the gathered hair.

"I don't know," Danny admitted. "But that's a problem for another day. How's the dragon research?"

"Hang on," Sam said, tying a second bunch up on the other side. "Here this is what I found." She clicked at her computer a couple times before there was a notification on Tucker's laptop. "There's not a lot but this seemed familiar."

Danny watched as Tucker clicked through a couple links, until he saw a familiar pale blue dragon. "That's it!" He said, pointing at the image.

"The amulet of Aragon," Tucker read aloud.

"Are you sure that's it Danny?" Sam asked. "Here's a clearer image of the necklace itself." The image appeared on their group chat. It was of a delicate chain supporting a hefty looking green gem stone surrounded by s golden dragon.

"That's the amulet I gave Paulina," Danny exclaimed.

Sam snorted. "The amulet of Aragon will transform the wearer into that of a dragon under high stress," she read from the site. "The last known wearer was Princess Dorothea, sister to Aragon."

"I'm going on a date with a dragon!"

"This dance suddenly got more interesting," Sam said grinning. "You coming Tuck?"

"Yeah," Tucker said, reaching to hang up the call. "See you Sam." He shut his laptop and pushed it into his laptop bag, which he then shoved under Danny's bed.

"Not taking it with you?" Danny asked.

"It charges when it's under there," Tucker said, shrugging.

"That's a little odd."

"Can I get a lift to Sam's?" Tucker asked, poking his friend in the shoulder.

"I'm not a taxi," Danny said but he was already summoning the rings. He grabbed Tucker and flew off toward Sam's. He rang the doorbell when they landed and then flew to Paulina's.

Danny changed just around the corner from Paulina's house and walked up to her door. He cleared his throat. "Hey Paulina, that amulet is a family heirloom and I really shouldn't have-" he shook his head. "No stupid." The door swung open.

A gruff voice said "You the Fenton kid?"

Danny gulped. "Yea- yes sir."

"Come in then." Danny shuffled through the door.

"You must be Danny," an accented voice said as Danny tried not to look uncomfortable with the attention from Paulina's parents. "Paulina should be down in a moment."

Danny nodded. He continued nodding. Paulina's mom laughed lightly. 

Before Danny could make any more of a fool of himself, Paulina came down the stairs. With one hand she held her skirt up so she could see the steps beneath it and with the other she waved at Danny. "Hola Danny," she said happily.

"Er hi," Danny replied, nervously fidgeting with the edge of his suit jacket as he waved back. "I got you this." He awkwardly handed her a corsage in pink and green.

"Isn't that cute Lucas," Paulina's mom said.

Paulina's dad crossed his arms. 

"Let's get pictures of you two together," Paulina's mom flapped one hand at them excitedly as she reached for a camera. "Stand together now." Danny awkwardly shuffled around as he stood next to Paulina. The shutter of her mom's camera went off several times.

Paulina, grinning brightly at her parents, complained but only lightly as she posed. "Mama," she said as she prominently held out the corsage. "That's enough pictures now."

"You heard the princess Maria," her dad, Lucas, said. He came up behind Danny and put his hand heavily on his shoulder. Danny gulped. "These kids need to get going."

Maria looked at the time. "Oh I suppose they do," she said before turning to Danny. "If you hurt one hair on my bebita's head I will not hesitate." Danny gulped.

"Mama, be nice," Paulina said.

"You go on down to the car Princess," Lucas said. Danny thought he seemed less scary now he knew which if then was the really dangerous one. "I'll get the keys."

"Come on Danny." And with that Danny was being dragged from the house.

"Listen, Paulina," Danny said. "That amulet-"

"Isn't it wonderful?" She interrupted him, touching her fingers lightly to the dragon. Danny noticed she'd gotten her nails done with dragons to match. "I haven't taken it off since you gave it to me."

"Right." This was going to be harder than he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I based Paulina's mother a little off of Penelope Alvarez from odat. Correct me on anything about american high school, Latin american families or anything else I may have gotten wrong!


	7. Operation Stop the Dragon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Operation failed.

Sam opened her front door just as Danny flew off. "Tucker," she said as she watched her friend fly away. "How are we getting there?"

Tucker also turned to watch Danny. "That's a good point."

Sam rolled her eyes and pulled out her battered black flip phone. She typed in a number. "Hey Dad, is the chauffeur busy?"

Tucker heard a vague noise from the phone. "No you don't have to. Okay."

"Dad's going to give us a lift," Sam said to him once she had snapped her phone shut.

"You have a chauffeur?" Tucker asked.

"Er, no?" 

"Doesn't matter, we'll talk about this later. Although this-" Tucker pointed at the Bentley that pulled out of the garage. "Explains why you gave me an S10 for free."

"Just get in Tucker."

Once they arrived at the dance they tried to mingle like nothing was wrong. But that, obviously, wasn't true.

Jack and Maddie loomed large over the crowd of teenagers. Sam and Tucker waved at them a little awkwardly.

"Where's Danny?" Tucker asked as the two of them moved around the hall.

"I don't know let's look around," Sam said, grabbing Tucker's wrist and dragging him around. 

They were just running towards the punch bowl when Jack Fenton lumbered up to them. "Guys," the lumbering man said in a tone that Sam never thought she would head coming from him. "We have a problem."

"We had nothing to do with it Mr Fenton, it was all Danny's idea!" Tucker exclaimed in a rush.

"What?" Jack said. "No. Guys, it's me Danny!"

"Danny?" Sam asked, poking Jack's large orange clad shoulder.

"Yeah and like I said, we have a problem."

"What kind of problem?"

"Sam, my dad keeps talking to Lancer, my date is angry and won't give up her necklace and my mom thinks she can Dance."

"All the problems then?" Tucker asked.

Danny ignored him and held up his own phone. "Text me if my Dad gets too close to Lancer. Sam help me get that amulet off of Paulina."

"This dance just got interesting," Sam said as Danny flew out of his Dad. Sam ran off, leaving Tucker to watch Jack.

Ghosts 4 Days

Bat girl is my gf: so why are we keeping your dad away from lancer?

TooFine: yeah I thought the talk was about adhd???

Ghost with the least: can we focus??

Sam put her phone back in her bat shaped clutch and watched Danny get punch. She then saw Paulina heading towards the bathroom.

Ghosts 4 Days

Bat girl is my gf: going after the amulet

TooFine: don't drown

TooFine: jack and Maddie are dancing right now

Sam followed Paulina into the girls bathroom. She took a deep breath. "Hey Paulina," she said, resisting the urge to give an awkward wave. "I wanted to apologise for the other day. You aren't shallow."

Paulina turned around with a smile on her face. "That means a lot coming from you."

Sam grit her teeth. That felt like a veiled insult. "I love your dress!" She said, forcing the pleasantries.

"Thank you," Paulina said, taking a step towards Sam. "It goes so well with your amulet." She touched the dragon resting between her collar bones.

"My amulet-" Sam started and then did some quick thinking. "Oh right. Do you think you could give that back? You see my grandma gave it to me-"

"Forget it sweetie," said Paulina, with a somewhat sadistic grin. "I'm not giving this trinket back or your little boyfriend Danny."

"My boyfr- Danny's not my boyfriend."

"Girlfriend then, whatever."

"Danny and I aren't dating.  _ He _ 's not my  _ boy _ friend," Sam said, purposefully stressing Danny's pronouns. "He's my  _ best _ friend. Maybe that's why I was so hard on you. Like I said, you aren't shallow."

Paulina poured and crossed her arms. "What a bummer," she said. "I only agreed to go out with him because I thought I was stealing him from you." She lifted the amulet over her own head and slipped it over Sam's. "Take your crummy amulet, I'm going back to dump your dorky friend."

Sam growled. Because she was aware of what the amulet could do she tried to take it off but it was too late. She turned. "SHALLOW GIRL!" She yelled.


	8. Dragon on the loose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny fights the dragon again

Danny pushed the door to the girls bathroom open a crack. "Sam, you okay?" There was no response so he pushed the door open further and peaked inside. "Sam?" His ghost sense dogged his breath and sent a shiver down his spine.

His eyes widened as he saw the massive, gaping hole in the girls bathroom wall. Flying towards the football field was that same blue dragon. Danny sighed. "Maybe sending Sam to do this wasn't the best idea..." The rings flashed and he flew off after both girls.

In the football field, Danny caught up and flew up in front of the dragon. "Now Paulina I know how hard school dances can be but you need to put Sam dow-" his words got stuck in his throat as he saw the girl clutched in the dragon's huge claws. "Paulina?" He looked back at the dragon. "Sam?"

"Shallow girl!" The dragon yelled and blasted a jet of fire at him.

Danny just barely managed to dodge. "Yep, that's Sam." He picked up as much speed as he could and threw himself at Sam. "I hate to do this Sam." He slammed, shoulder first, into her scaley stomach and sent her careening into the touchdown line. Paulina was flung from her claws and landed in a pile of footballs that hadn't been put away.

Sam roared and swung a great claw at Danny. Danny dodged. Sam swung again. Danny caught the claw and surprised himself with the fact he could do that. The claw pushed back harder and sent him flying across the field. He slid, with a mouth full of grass, into centre field. Sitting up, he spat out the grass. "Okay, dodging isn't working. Maybe I need to think more like..." he glimpsed her tail swishing behind her and grinned. "Mario 64." He threw himself back into the air and rocketed towards Sam the dragon.

"Shallow girl!" Roared Sam, batting at him like an angry cat.

"Sorry about this Sam," he yelled as he flew rapid circles around her. Eventually he outpaced her and grabbed her tail. He planted his feet as hard as he could and spun the dragon that was his best friend around. And around. And around. He let go.

There was an almighty crash and an amulet came flying out from where Sam had landed in the bleachers. She started to shrink down and Danny grabbed the amulet. He looked around to see where Paulina had gone.

"Are you a ghost?"

"Err, yes?" Danny asked as he saw the girl sat on the pile of footballs.

"That's wild," Paulina said. "Does your hair just do that?" She pointed at his head and Danny self-consciously lifted a hand to his white hair.

"Yes?"

Paulina smiled and then she saw Dash coming up to her. He, Danny thought, hadn't noticed any of the damage. "So, do you like quarterbacks?"

Danny rolled his eyes and went to help Sam. 

"Ugh," she said, pushing herself up from the rubble that used to be bleachers. "Did I have fun at the dance?"

"Let's just say you had a roaring good time," Danny told her as he helped her up.


	9. And then they danced

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tucker loses his date.

Ghosts 4 Days

TooFine: Danny?

Sam?

Emergency!

Guys hello

Hello

Danny your dad is trying to talk to Lancer

Hello

Ghost with the least: then stop him? Tuck I'm fightingaheiwj

TooFine: okay I can do this

Tucker tucked his phone into his dress pants pocket and took a deep breath. "You can do this foley." He walked up to Jack and tried to get his attention. "Er Mr Fenton there's something I need to talk to you about."

Before Tucker could come up with a good thing he needed to talk to Jack about there was a loud crash from the football field and a loud scream from the girls bathroom.

Star came running past them towards Mr Lancer. "The walls gone!" She screeched. "Paulina went in there and now the walls gone and Paulina's gone!"

"Calm down Miss Weston and explain what has happened," Lancer said in a voice far too calm for what was clearly a very bad situation. Tucker gulped. There was no way ghosts weren't involved.

"DRAGON!" Yelled Kwan. "Dragon on the football field!"

"Mr Lee dragons do not exist," Lancer told the hysterical football player.

"Tell that to the one in the football field!"

"Help me organize getting the students home," Lancer told Jack and Maddie. Tucker pulled his phone back out. 

Ghosts 4 Days

TooFine: r u guys okay?

Batgirl is my gf: on way back

Ghost with the least: what's happening

TooFine: lancers sending everyone home

Looks like school might be closed again

Batgirl is my gf: this seems like its gonna be a pattern

Ghost with the least: what else could go wrong? An incredibly infectious virus that closes literally everything in the whole world to try and slow the spread?

What? It could happen

Tucker hung around in the mostly deserted gym turned dance hall as he waited for his dad (or Sam's he wasn't clear on what was actually happening) to come and pick him up. Sam and Danny had returned just before everyone was told to leave so they were hanging in the corner.

"Are you sure you're okay Sam?" Danny asked.

"I'm fine, really," she reassured, taking Danny's hand. "And look the DJ's still playing. There's probably time for one last dance."

Danny smiled and followed her out onto the floor. He threw the dragon amulet at Tucker. "Hold onto this."

"Sure." He watched his friends, because Sam was definitely his friend even if things were still a little odd, walk off. "Hey wait a minute now I'm careless!"

"I want to go to the ball!" An echoing voice said next to him. Tucker glanced in that direction. He gasped.

"On second thought, I'm not that desperate," he yelled as he started to follow his friends. "Hey guys wait up!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why yes, I did make Star Wes's sister. Her real name is Willow but she, like her older brother Spike, hates the w Weston name thing and prefers to go by Star. Spike hates that she also chose an S name.


End file.
